There are no required textbooks for this class. The following are recommended.
RECOMMENDED REFERENCE BOOKS:
American Psychological Association (2009). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author.
Kirkpatrick, L.A. & Feeney, B.C. (2006). A simple guide to SPSS for Windows, Version 14.0 (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
A NOTE ABOUT THESE BOOKS:
You should seriously consider buying the APA Publication Manual. You’ll also want a book on SPSS to refer to, although if you prefer, you can feel free to use something other than Kirkpatrick. Although these books are optional, they are available at the Huntley bookstore.
ABOUT THIS COURSE:
As indicated by its name, the purpose of this course is to hone skills you have already developed, namely the skills required to design research studies in psychology. The course has been designed for (and is restricted to) students who were invited last spring to write a senior honors thesis in psychology this year. To that end, the main goal of the course will be to have developed an honors-quality research proposal by the end of the semester, and to have collected and analyzed some preliminary ("pilot") data, so that you'll have a good head start on your honors thesis, which will be completed in the spring semester.
Among the topics we will at least touch upon in the course are:
- Methods and theory of scientific research
- How to conduct a thorough literature review
- How to write a scientific research report
- How to analyze data using SPSS for Windows
- Ethical issues in the conduct of research
Note that at the end of the fall semester, each of you will be required to present your pilot data (in the context of a broader presentation about your project) to the members of the psychology field group (date, time, and location of the oral presentations to be announced later in the semester). Only those students whose data and presentations are of sufficiently high quality—and who achieve a B or better in this course, while also meeting all of the other criteria specified in the Pitzer College course catalog—will be allowed to continue in the honors program. Those students will enroll in Psychology 191 (Senior Thesis in Psychology) next spring; this course will include a once-a-week meeting designed to support students in their data-gathering and thesis-writing. At the end of the academic year, students will present their completed thesis research to the Psychology faculty and majors. A rough draft of the thesis will be due 4 weeks before the end of the spring semester (the week of April 4) and the final thesis will be due 2 weeks later (the week of April 18). Final bound copies of the thesis will be due 1 week after that (the week of April 25).
To receive honors in psychology at graduation, a student must have successfully completed a senior thesis—earning either an A or an A- on the thesis—and have met the GPA criteria specified in the Pitzer College course catalog.
WRITING CENTER:
Located in 131 Mead Hall, just across from the fountain, the Pitzer Writing Center offers students free one-on-one conferences with peer Fellows trained to consult on assignments in all disciplines at any stage of the writing process, from brainstorming ideas to polishing a final draft. The Writing Center is one of Pitzer’s most popular academic resources, holding over 1,100 appointments each year. I strongly urge you to make early and frequent use of this resource throughout the writing process. Regular 50-minute appointments are available, as are two-hour appointments for senior thesis writers. The Writing Center also offers workshops on writing as a process and practice throughout the year. Please visit the Writing Center’s website for more information: http://pitweb.pitzer.edu/writing-center.
ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS:
Please note that I will make every reasonable effort to accommodate students with disabilities. To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Associate Dean of Students Jill Hawthorne. She can be contacted via email at jill_hawthorne@pitzer.edu or at (909) 607-3553.
USE OF DIGITAL DEVICES:
With regard to digital devices (e.g., laptops, phones, tablets, etc.), please limit their use in class to note-taking; refrain from using such devices during class for other activities (e.g., texting, web surfing, video watching, Facebook-page checking, etc.).
AUDIO RECORDINGS:
Please ask my permission if you really think you need to make an audio recording of the class. If I do give you permission to record the class, the recording must be for your personal use ONLY and must be deleted at the end of the semester. I do not permit any video recording or photography while in class, as these are not really necessary; I will provide PowerPoint slides on Sakai (as copyright permits).